NEWSMAX: ….The judge essentially instructed them to get into John Edwards’ mind (as well as into the minds of several other actors in this political soap opera) and to determine precisely what his intention was in receiving money from friends.
If his intention was primarily personal (to try to save his marriage and not humiliate his wife any further), then there was no crime. But if his intent was primarily political (to help him get elected president), then there may have been a crime.
Precisely how many angels were dancing on the head of that pin! No one, not even Edwards himself, could calculate the precise quantification of his complex and multiple intentions. This kind of decision should never be the subject of a criminal case, and the jury was right to find a reasonable doubt as to one of the charges and to throw its hands up as to the others…. (more)
